That would reflect the sudden change in direction and attitude the group seems to have taken regarding sworn enemies at District 150. Before, the war cry sounded something like, “Take no prisoners!” Now, it’s more like, “Hey, let’s do lunch.”

The drumbeat was clear for months: Change150 wanted Superintendent Grenita Lathan’s head on a pike. To get there, the group vowed to target board members, replace them with anti-Lathanites and send her packing. Yet just after loudly drumming an incumbent off the School Board, Change150 suddenly wants the replacement to be a gentle peacemaker.

How weird is that? Imagine “Braveheart,” as two sides charge and scream toward each other and bloody battle, William Wallace suddenly holds up his hand and suggests, “Say, everybody, I have a swell idea: How about we all head over to Starbucks and talk things out? Maybe over some scones?”

What’s going on here? Smells like politics, which should worry just about anyone on either side of the District 150 debate. What are normal Peorians to make of this? Will the real Change150 please stand up?

Mind you, there’s no actual board vacancy. Sue Wolstenholm — who quit the race, only to become Change150’s protest candidate — has yet to resign. It’s hard to understand the holdup: She doesn’t need to do much beyond scribble “I quit” in crayon on a napkin and drop it off at the school district. Her slowness to say bye-bye officially just adds to the drama and weirdness of the latest soap opera at District 150, the only school district in the country that seems constantly ripe to become a reality TV show.

Let’s assume Wolstenholm honors her commitment to quitting. Would the School Board go along with Change150’s recommendation?

Let me be very clear: I have no qualms with Change150’s chosen one, Dan Adler. I know almost nothing about him. But he’s a Caterpillar Inc. engineer, a breed known to be dependable, respected and vanilla — just the type of solid person that’s needed on a school board: work hard, keep quiet, good job.

Still, last week, he offered a few remarks that turned my head around. He said that if elected, “I promise to enter office not with an ax to grind, but with some tough questions and helpful suggestions to offer.”

What? That sounds all nice and reasonable — and entirely off-course. Remember, in the wake of the Charter Oak hoo-hah, Change150 was created to grind an ax. That’s been its goal all along: grind, grind, grind — then lop off Lathan’s head.

Page 2 of 3 - Let’s go back in time via Change150’s website. In part, it touts a wide array of goals: uniting the community, supporting teachers, improving education and otherwise bettering the district.

How? Details seem often murky. But the site is specific about the crux of its solution: Boot Lathan. Though more recent site postings have been less Lathan-centric, the early posts — when Change150 rallied for supporters to come out in force — were riddled with shots at Lathan. For example, on Jan. 27, the site shrieked: “We are fighting against the chaos and the confusion that seem to come with every new decision made by the current Board of Education and Superintendent Grenita Lathan.” And on Feb. 12, the site intoned: “As one voice, we denounce the intimidating, demoralizing and chaotic strategies Dr. Lathan has implemented.”

Moreover, the group has been verbally and publicly clear in targeting Lathan. In February, before asking the City Council to get involved, Change150 President Jim Powell said it was time for Lathan to go, adding, “And until some board members begin to stand up and accept their culpability in all this, they need to go, too.”

After the council declined to enter the fray, the Change150 website turned urgent: “WE CANNOT BACK DOWN. We cannot surrender even one inch of this ground that we have fought so hard to gain!!” It also referred to the effort as nothing less than a “battle.”

Those are serious words reflecting clear intent. And it worked. Supporters flocked to help, campaigning for the withdrawn Wolstenholm as a protest candidate. On election night, the noncandidate trounced incumbent Laura Petelle with an impressive 70 percent of the vote.

And you know what? All of that’s well and good. Change150 has the right to espouse views and slate candidates as it feels fit. And until now, the message and aim were clear.

But now, what about consistency? The group’s anointed choice is not only talking about burying the hatchet but describes himself as a consensus-builder. He also vowed to be objective about any attempt to can Lathan. Plus, Change150 now has backed off its plan to wipe out the remaining School Board members.

This is unwelcome news for just about anyone in Peoria, except maybe chiropractors standing to make a fortune to treat a citywide epidemic of whiplash.

If you are a Change150 stalwart, don’t you now wonder about this weakening of heart? It’s no longer “throw out the bums” but “let’s play nice.” Is that hunky-dory? Do you simply take the order of an about-face and just keep marching along?

For folks outside the group, do you not worry about a Trojan horse? The replacement pick sounds and looks good, but what lurks underneath? Does it pulse with any anti-Lathan fervor favored by the group just three months ago?

Page 3 of 3 - For sure, politics involve compromise. But this marks a drastic change in tactics and goals. In the end, maybe that makes for more civility and better cooperation. If so, great.

Change150 long thumped its self-righteous chest and demanded a scorched-earth revolution to drive Lathan out of Peoria. Yet could it be now that torches and pitchforks have somehow been exchanged for an olive branch?

That would’ve been a nice gesture — a call for reasoned discourse — from day one. But now, forgive anyone around Peoria who looks long and hard at what Change150 holds in its hand — or up its sleeve.